


Kryptonite

by ShaneVansen



Category: Haven - Fandom
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M, post ep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-20
Updated: 2013-11-20
Packaged: 2018-01-02 03:23:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1051945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShaneVansen/pseuds/ShaneVansen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He doesn't always think clearly when it comes to her.  (<i>The Trouble with Troubles</i> post-ep, with spoilers from <i>Spiral</i> and S3 through 4x10)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kryptonite

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to December21st for, um, liking this one? *g*
> 
> Nathan seriously needs to learn some self-control, but I love him so I found him a little bit of an excuse (even though it doesn't make everything better).
> 
> I have thankfully never had to wait in a hospital for someone to come out of surgery, so there's probably a lot wrong with that scene. Blame TV.
> 
> Some lines are taken directly from the ep, so credit where it's due to the actual writers of the show, who rock way more than I could ever hope to.

"I like you guys, so I'm going to tell you everything you want to know about who she is and what she's done. Sorry – what _we_ did. Together. Because we? Are so connected."

It's not so much that Nathan decides to shoot William as it is that he just wants the other man to _shut the hell up_.

For almost a year now it's been one thing after another after another – the countdown to the Hunter and Audrey's disappearance, his six-month exile from Haven after thinking himself responsible for the deaths of his two closest friends, finding Lexie but not Audrey only to discover that she'd lied to him to keep him safe, and weeks of trying to convince her to kill him, all just for starters – and now William's voice is taking on a not-entirely-sane edge as he blames Audrey for who-knows-what and rambles on about how they're so _connected_... and Nathan's just had _enough_.

It takes him entirely too long to understand that something's wrong with Audrey, to realize that not only is she on the floor, injured somehow, but that she's also bleeding. Duke beats him to her but Nathan's not far behind, and it's like a sucker punch to the gut when he recognizes that William's words were much more literal than Nathan had assumed and that he had, for all intents and purposes, just shot his partner.

"It's the same wound," he points out in response to Duke's _what the hell is happening?_ "They are connected."

It takes all of a few seconds for them both to realize what that means, and then Duke's kneeling next to William, covering his gunshot wound to try to keep him from bleeding out and taking Audrey with him.

All Nathan can do is hold a hand over Audrey's own wound, repeating her name over and over as he tries to keep her awake. In the background he hears Duke calling 911, reporting an officer down and requesting two ambulances at _Danny's Dry Dock_. "Hang in there, Parker," he says. "Ambulance is on its way. Just hold on; you're gonna be fine."

Her blinks are becoming longer, her breaths shallower, and Nathan keeps her head elevated and puts pressure on her wound and just keeps telling her everything's going to be okay.

***

He hovers at her side as the paramedics do what they can, rides with her in the ambulance, doesn't let her out of his sight until they arrive at the hospital and the trauma team whisks her into surgery, and then it's nearly three hours of waiting.

Duke is there, which helps, and soon enough they're joined by Jennifer and then Vince and Dave. Relaying what happened fills some of the time, as does trying to figure out what the hell is going on, but, as always, they simply don't have enough information. Even the Teagues brothers have no information about the origins of the Troubles beyond a few vague Native American legends, and they've never heard of William. They need both Audrey and – as much as Nathan hates to admit it – William to help fill in the blanks. 

Once they've run out of theories the waiting room drops into silence. Unable to sit still, Nathan starts pacing. At one point Jennifer goes down to the cafeteria to get them all coffees that no one drinks. Dave and Vince mutter to each other occasionally, but Nathan doesn't have the energy to bother eavesdropping. Duke lounges in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, affecting a nonchalance that doesn't fool Nathan in the slightest, and watches them all without a word.

They all turn as one when the doctor appears at the door to the waiting room.

"We've managed to get both Detective Parker and the man who was brought in with her stabilized for now," she starts without preamble, "but they're both still in serious condition. There was significant blood loss before they arrived here, and it took us some time to repair the damage. The next twenty-four hours are critical." She tilts her head. "It's the strangest thing. Though there was no exit wound on Detective Parker, we were unable to find a bullet."

Nathan doesn't even try to come up with a cover story. "Can I see her?"

The doctor gestures back the way she came. "Down the hall, third room on your left."

The others are still asking questions but he doesn't stick around to listen.

She's pale and still but hooked up to fewer machines than Nathan was expecting, which makes him feel a little better. He grabs a chair from the corner of the room, sets it beside Audrey's bed, and takes her hand. He feels like he should apologize for shooting her, even though none of them had any idea that hurting William would give her an identical wound. That doesn't stop him from feeling guilty that his split-second decision landed her here.

There's a soft sound in the doorway behind him, and Nathan knows who it is without even turning around. "Sometimes," he says, not taking his eyes off Audrey, "I wonder if I'm more like my father than I want to admit."

Duke enters the room, moving around to the far side of the bed and taking Audrey's other hand. "Garland Wuornos spent a lot of time at the bedside of pretty blondes, did he?"

Nathan doesn't even crack a smile. "Not the chief; Max Hansen." He looks up to find Duke watching him. "I read his file a couple of weeks after he died. Everyone knows he was put away for killing that family, but I didn't know, I don't remember—" He pauses to take a breath. "My mother's name is in his file. The things he did to her, the way he treated her...." His own name is in those reports, too, but he still doesn't remember any of it and it's more than he's willing to share just now. "He was a violent man. And I... I don't always think clearly, when it comes to Audrey. I shot him to keep her safe, and instead I almost killed her."

He looks away again, back at the woman he put in the hospital, inadvertent though it had been. On the other side of the bed, he hears Duke shift.

"Look, Nathan, I don't pretend to know half of what goes on between you two, but I'm the last person in Haven who's going to call you out on doing whatever needs to be done to protect Audrey. Though I'd imagine she'd be the first to give you hell about it." In spite of himself, Nathan finds himself smiling in agreement. "If you think you're going too far, that's between you and her and whatever poor sap tries to get between the two of you. Either way, you know she's got your back." He hesitates. "And for whatever it's worth, so do I."

"Thanks," Nathan mutters, somewhat awkwardly, and the silence that follows is almost uncomfortable until Duke moves around the bed, claps him on the shoulder, and heads for the door.

"I'll be back in a while," he says. "Call me if she wakes up before then."

"Sure," Nathan agrees, and then he's alone again with his partner. He readjusts the grip he's had on her hand the entire time and leans forward. "You hear that, Parker? Duke Crocker says he's on my side. Not only that, I believe him. And that's all because of you. So if anyone can work miracles around here, Audrey, it's you. If you can convince me that I can trust Duke, then recovering from a little thing like a gunshot wound from an invisible bullet should be a piece of cake, don't you think?"

He squeezes her hand, watching for any sign she's waking up, but there's no reaction. "C'mon, Parker. We can't do this without you." _I can't do this without you_ is what he means, but it seems too selfish to say aloud. "Whatever William thinks you did, whether it's true or not, we'll figure it out together, just like always. But you need to wake up first."

With still nothing except the steady beep of her heart monitor as a response, Nathan settles into his chair, prepared to wait as long as it takes.

_\--end--_

**Author's Note:**

> No spoilers, please! I don't even know the _title_ of the next ep, let alone what it's about. :)


End file.
